Wireless communication devices, such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants and the like, have components that include microprocessors, input peripherals such as a keypad, special function buttons and wheels, output peripherals, and information storage means. These devices run one or more software applications such as micro-browsers, address books, and email clients. Additionally, current generations of such devices have access to a plurality of services via the Internet. A wireless device may, for example, be used to browse web sites on the Internet, to transmit, receive, and execute media content such as graphics and graphical animations, and to execute streaming audio and/or video applications.
During the development of media content for mobile devices, a content developer may want to test completed content, and/or make a change to the content using a content development tool and immediately test the changes on a web browser of a wireless communication device or a simulator of such device. This edit-and-test cycle can occur repeatedly until the developer is satisfied with the result. Known media content development tools include Macromedia/Adobe Flash and Plazmic Content Developers Kit for Blackberry®. In order for a developer to play the media content on the web browser, the developer typically must export the content from the content development tool in a publishable format, publish the exported content onto a web server, open the web browser on the wireless communication device or on the device simulator, enter the URL of the published content into the browser, then download the published content at the URL to the web browser.
The web browser on the device or device simulator typically provides only a limited set of controls for testing the content thoroughly. Playback control of animation can be limited to a play/pause toggle control, a go-to-start (rewind) control, and the ability to select a URL from the browser history. The web browser typically does not provide a convenient way for a user to jump to a specific point in time within the animation. Furthermore, any controls provided by the web browser are designed for use by an end user and not a content developer; it is therefore particularly tedious for the content developer to test his media content on the web browser using these controls. It would be desirable to provide a solution to at least some of the challenges and limitations present in existing approaches to testing media content on the web browser.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.